


200 followers bingo prompts

by clonecest_bin_account



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dead Sheev Palpatine, Emperor Fox, Evil AU, Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Rex, Order 66 (Star Wars), Post-Canon, Role Reversal, Secret Relationship, Sleepy Cuddles, Unhealthy Relationships, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 16,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29180322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clonecest_bin_account/pseuds/clonecest_bin_account
Summary: A series of prompts I've received on tumblr to celebrate reaching 200 followers.
Relationships: Boost/Sinker (Star Wars), CC-1010 | Fox/CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/CC-1010 | Fox, CC-2224 | Cody/CC-1010 | Fox/CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-2224 | Cody/CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-2224 | Cody/CT-5385 | Tup, CC-5052 | Bly & CC-2224 | Cody & CC-1010 | Fox & CC-3636 | Wolffe, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo/Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives/Hardcase, CT-5597 | Jesse/CT-5385 | Tup, CT-5597 | Jesse/CT-6116 | Kix, Crosshair/Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Dogma/CC-1010 | Fox, Dogma/CC-1010 | Fox/Clone Commander Thorn, Hardcase/CC-3636 | Wolffe, Tech/Wrecker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 51





	1. Boost/Sinker - Mischief

**Author's Note:**

> Since I've reached 200 followers on my [tumblr blog](https://clonecest-bin-account.tumblr.com/) I've decided to do something special, which ended up being a bingo in which I've put some of my favorite prompts/tropes and I've let my followers choose one of the prompts and a ship so that I could write something for them.

“This is stupid,” Boost grumbles, less willing to go along with this kind of stuff than Sinker’s is.

“Oh shut it, I know you’re enjoying it too,” Sinker retorts immediately, having noticed the way Boost is trying very hard to fight back a smile from appearing on his face.

Boost grumbles some more but he doesn’t say anything back, and when Sinker raises the datapad to his face, he poses so that Sinker can take another picture. Wolffe is going to be so mad…

Why would Wolffe be mad? Simple: the datapad they’re using is his. Wolffe has forgotten it at the cafeteria, and Sinker and Boost have decided to have some fun with it before he comes looking for it.

It’s a real fancy thing, Wolffe’s datapad; it even has a camera, which is a feature that they’ve been abusing for at least half an hour, taking pictures of themselves making goofy faces that the Commander will have to delete one by one.

He’s gonna be furious, that’s for sure, but the months of fresher duty - ‘cause they’re surely going to get that - are going to be worth it just to see the face Wolffe will make.

Sinker steps closer to Boost, pulling his arm around his shoulders only to then lean in, eyes still on the camera, and pressing his lips to Boost’s cheek. He takes another picture.

“Too bad Wolffe will delete them…” he says then. “Think we might convince him to keep them?”

“If he hasn’t killed us before we get the chance to ask,” Boost points out.

“Oh come on, he won’t,” Sinker retorts. “He’ll be mad, sure, but we’re too useful to him. He won’t kill us.”

At those words, Boost rolls his eyes.

“So, think we can manage?” Sinker asks again then.

“Nope,” is all Boost replies with, before taking Sinker’s chin in hand and drawing him close for an actual kiss. This time he’s the one who snaps the picture.

Something happens, however: they get into the kiss way too much, and for a moment they forget about what they were supposed to do, which isn’t a problem in itself of course, but…

_Crash!_

Both Sinker and Boost immediately pull away, staring in horror at the datapad that has fallen on the ground. It seemed like such hot shit but, judging by the cracked screen, it’s also pretty fragile. Uh-oh…

“He’s going to kill us. He’s so going to kill us.”

“He needs to find out it’s us in order to kill us,” Sinker replies, with a smirk already on his face. He’s always plotting something.

“What do you plan on doing?” Boost asks, “Put it back at the cafeteria and pretend we didn’t touch it?”

“Exactly,” Sinker replies, “But first…”

He bends over to take the datapad in his hand.

“Lemme delete all proof that we touched it,” he says then, beginning to delete all the pictures. It’s a shame that he has to do it, but it’s for their own sake. Besides, they’ve already established that Wolffe would’ve deleted them anyway, so it’s not that big of a loss.

“Hurry up so we can leave it and be done with this whole thing.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it,” Sinker replies. “Almost done…”

Despite this being a very lethal situation, they forget about it pretty quickly once they leave the datapad back to where it originally was, which is good because it’ll help giving off the impression that they’ve been doing other things and have nothing to do with this accident at all.

At the moment they’re on their way to take a shower, having spent the rest of the morning at the shooting range; sure, they are on leave, but this doesn’t mean they get to slack off. No, this isn’t what they’ve been taught on Kamino: constant exercise is paramount. If you slack off, it’s easier for you to die in battle.

Besides, it’s always fun challenging each other about who can take down most targets; it’s a good motivator to improve, and also the loser gets to do something the winner will choose for him, which let’s be honest, is the best part of this whole deal.

Today it’s Boost’s lucky day, cause he has won. You can tell by the confident way he’s walking, while Sinker follows him with a frown on his face.

“Oh please,” he says once they arrive to the communal showers, “Stop doing that!”

“Doing what?” Boost replies, as he begins to take his armor off, followed by Sinker.

“You know what you’re doing, don’t play fool with me,” Sinker retorts. He hates it when Boosts wins because he always acts like this. Smug bastard. _His_ smug bastard though.

In order to shut him up, Sinker grabs him by the neck of the blacks and pulls him in for a kiss, slipping his tongue between his lips; he can’t help but to smirk at how pliant he immediately becomes during the kiss. This is his favorite version of Boost.

Unfortunately, however, their fun is cut short.

“BOOST! SINKER!”

Oh no, that’s the Commander’s voice! Has he found out about the datapad?

“WHERE ARE THEY?! I SWEAR I’M GOING TO KILL THEM!”

Boost and Sinker look at each other. Oh no, it looks like Wolffe hasn’t taken kindly to what happened - though nobody was actually hoping for the contrary, it would’ve been too good. More than anything it’s a shame that he has somehow already understood that it was their fault, though to be fair who else could’ve been?

“Ready to run for your life?” Boost asks.

“As if you need to ask,” Sinker immediately replies. “Follow me, I know a place where we can hide.”

Boost nods, and here they go now, running away from a constantly closer Wolffe who, as soon as he spots them, begins to chase them, furious.

Sinker and Boost keep running, uncaring of the fact that they’re armorless and half-naked, because they know that the moment they stop they’ll be dead men.

And yet, despite everything, they can’t help but to laugh as they run, though it’s unclear whether it’s because they’re actually happy or it’s just the nervousness taking control of them.

At least this will be a funny anecdote to narrate, when they get out of this mess, _if_ they manage.


	2. Hardcase/Wolffe - Vacation

Wolffe still has no idea about how Hardcase managed to book an entire week on Naboo just for the two of them, but he supposes that, with the war over, nobody will mind if they take a small vacation.

_Vacation_ , that’s a word Wolffe never thought he would’ve used, not with how life seemed to be for them clones. Oh well, he surely doesn’t mind it, even though he’s been a bit grumpy about it, because Hardcase had decided to tell him last-minute that they were going to go - he wanted it to be a surprise - which left Wolffe with barely enough time to get ready for it, though in the end it’s not so bad: knowing himself, Wolffe would’ve probably stressed himself too much with the preparations and such.

Right now they’re enjoying a nice trip on a gondola, something that Hardcase has always wanted to experience, though instead of looking at the scenery around them, he seems more interested into snuggling with Wolffe, which he usually wouldn’t mind, but…

“The droid…” he complains, feeling weirdly observed in what is supposed to be an intimate moment. Neither of them knows how to maneuver a gondola, so they had to resort to a droid’s help, which means that they aren’t actually alone.

“What? Does it bother you?” Hardcase asks, more amused than anything about this sudden embarrassment.

“Doesn’t it bother _you_?” Wolffe retorts, though he knows that it’s a weak reply. Hardcase chuckles in fact, closing his arms around Wolffe.

“Not at all,” he replies, nuzzling against Wolffe’s neck.

No matter how hard he tries not to, Wolffe can’t help but to melt at the close contact, even if the occasional beep reminds him that technically they aren’t alone; still, let’s just say that Hardcase’s broad presence is enough to distract him.

It’s just-- how is he supposed not to melt, huh? That’s right, he can’t. Soon he finds himself relaxing more and more, eyes drawn to Hardcase.

Speaking of Hardcase, he looks happy, serene even. Wolffe is oh too aware of the fact that some people act a certain way in order to mask what lies underneath - he’s guilty of this too - so after getting to know Hardcase it didn’t take him long to understand that, even though he’s predisposed to being a crazy happy fun ball, most of the time he forces himself to act this way.

It’s in the way he’s less “explosive” than the usual, less overt. It might seem weird since we’re talking about him, but there’s a subtlety in him that Wolffe has noticed only with time; the way he slowly begins to relax, the way he goes quiet, almost contemplative, the soft way he touches Wolffe, the way he finally stops tapping his foot - a habit that Wolffe has acquired as well after so much time spent together.

He turns towards Wolffe and he notices his staring.

“W-What?” he asks, suddenly self-conscious. Is something wrong?

Wolffe doesn’t reply with words; he just leans in, pressing his lips against Hardcase’s. At first it’s barely a brush, but here it is Hardcase, pushing back immediately, parting his lips to get even more of what Wolffe’s offering to him, something that Wolffe gives away more than willingly.

It’s not enough for Hardcase, however, who pushes himself closer, who grabs Wolffe by the waist… Only to stop, both of them freezing on the spot, as the gondola begins to dangerously swing on the water because of their sudden movements.

They immediately pull away, and the driving droid begins to angrily beep at them. Wolffe doesn’t know binary, but he bets he’s not saying anything nice right now.

There’s a moment of tense silence in which Wolffe and Hardcase look at each other - and the former can’t help but to feel a bit ashamed, like a shiny that has just been caught doing something illicit for the first time - but then, however, the tension quickly dissipates.

Hardcase is the first one to crack, and his laughter begins to fill the air. Wolffe follows suit, slapping his knee from how hard he’s laughing.

For a moment they almost repeat the same mistake from a few seconds before, which in turn makes them laugh even harder at the absurdity of it all.

“Alright, alright… Let’s calm down now…” Wolffe tries, but here they go laughing again.

It’s dumb, it’s so kriffing dumb, and yet they can’t stop, they won’t stop. After all, despite the droid’s presence, it’s like they’re alone, right?

What else should they do, if not enjoy the moment?


	3. Cody/Fox - Mutual Pining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this prompt. Ngl at this point Cody/Fox is up there with Cody/Wolffe as my favorite, I really can't choose between the two

Cody and Fox have a complicated relationship, that’s for sure, but since their days in Kamino they’ve always stuck out for the other. It was more in a “nobody can mess with my vod but me” way, but with time and maturity it turned into something else, something that, however, still hasn’t been disclosed.

Fox’s on his third cup of caf and it’s barely midday. Actually, he predicts that he’ll be able to even get another one before Thorn comes bursting in for some matter or another, or just to bother him - lucky him that he has the time to conduct this kind of behavior.

This isn’t what is occupying his mind with so much insistence, however. He’s received news from Cody: apparently, the 212th have been granted a period of leave on Coruscant after a particularly long and difficult campaign.

Why he should care about that is beyond him… Except that’s a total lie, and he can’t keep lying to himself.

It’s easy to ignore his feelings when Cody’s away, but now that he’s coming back - and they’ll interact, Fox doesn’t doubt that not even for a moment - it’s going to be harder.

Why, just why?

“Huh, you seem in a mood…”

Kriff, he was so lost in his head that he hadn’t even heard the sound of the door opening.

“What do you want, Thorn?” he says, ignoring what the other has told him. He really isn’t in the mood for any kind of bullshit.

To Thorn’s credit, he doesn’t immediately begin to bother him, and actually for a moment he just stares at him, deep in thought. Then, he reaches the obvious conclusion: “Is Cody back?”

Fox hates that he’s so predictable, but he supposes that, out of everyone in the Guard, Thorn would be the one knowing him best.

“He’s going to come back soon,” he replies, purposefully keeping his tone neutral.

“And are you going to do something about it?” Thorn immediately asks, wiggling his eyebrows at Fox, who rolls his eyes.

“Of course not you di’kut!” he exclaims. As if he could!

It’s not only that he can’t do it, but he doesn’t want to do it either.

Why would Cody even return his feelings? He can have virtually everybody that catches his eyes, why would he settle with Fox of all people?

No, this is just a stupid crush…

It’s not, and no matter how many times Fox tries to deny it, he knows it, deep inside himself. Maybe one day he’ll be even brave enough to act upon these feelings, but for now he doesn’t even dare to think about that possibility, not when everything seems to be pushing against him.

“… Fox?”

“Just…” he begins shaking is head. “If there’s something you have to tell me do it, or else leave.”

Thorn seems about to say something, but eventually he thinks against it.

“Alright, I’ll let you sulk in peace if that’s what you want,” he says, beginning to walk towards the door, stopping just right before exiting, turning towards Fox. “If you want to talk about it…”

“I’ll join you later,” Fox replies, brusque, but then his tone softens, “Thank you, Thorn.”

Thorn smiles at him, something that Fox feels inclined to return, and he leaves him alone again.

Now that there’s nobody watching him, Fox can sag on his seat, not feeling the need anymore to keep himself uptight. There’s no way he can avoid seeing Cody, not when Cody himself seems so intent on seeking him out.

Besides, he’d lie if he said that he doesn’t look forward the moments they’ll get to spend together, even though he’ll probably spend them all pining over someone he’ll never have, at least not in the way he wants.

Still, as long as he gets to see him…

“You seem quiet today, Cody.”

From the previous state of torpor, of almost sleepiness, Cody jolts awake, straightening his back.

“General, sir!”

He must’ve spaced out real good if he hadn’t been able to notice his General approaching. General Kenobi, aware of this, is in fact looking at him with worried eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, sir. I was… thinking,” Cody replies, slightly flustered for having been caught in such an intimate moment.

“You looked quite troubled,” Obi-Wan observes. One good thing about him is that he never demands Cody to explain himself to him, though he surely does try pushing him to talk, though he’s always very subtle in the way he does it. Still, Cody knows him enough to know when he’s doing it, just like now.

He’s grateful for having found a friend in the General, but some things are just too personal even for him.

“It’s just… It’s been a while since we’ve been back on Coruscant,” he replies. It’s not that off the truth, after all.

“That is true,” Obi-Wan concedes, reaching then to touch Cody’s shoulder. “Do make sure to get some rest, alright?”

“I will, sir. Thank you,” Cody replies, smiling.

As soon as General Kenobi leaves, however, the smile dies on his face.

When he commed Fox to give him the news of him imminent arrival, he looked happy in the “I’m excited but I refuse to show it” way, but Cody’s afraid that he’s seeing too much into something that actually doesn’t mean anything.

It’s that he’s always wanted to impress him so much that he’s willing to latch into the smallest things to think that he’s done it, like the way Fox smiled as soon as he told him that he’ll stay on Coruscant for a while.

He wants Fox to be happy to see him, even though he can’t help but to find the thought selfish on the other hand as well, that’s why he’s never spoken to anyone about these feelings of his, not even with Fox. Actually, Fox will be the last one knowing about them, because Cody has no intentions to tell him.

Rex has called him repressed many times and well, he’s not entirely wrong. Even though there’s nothing more Cody wants to do than to tell Fox, he knows he won’t.

He sighs.

Oh well, at least he gets to spend some time with him. It has to be enough.

Fox knows it mustn’t look good that he’s meeting Cody right at the Negotiator’s landing point, but what can he say? He’s too impatient to see him again.

Luckily for him, nobody asks any questions, which means that he doesn’t have to lie to anybody; he didn’t even have any convincing lie to begin with, so he would’ve probably just told people to mind their business, which would’ve surely turned into them minding everything _but_ their business.

He’s barely able to hide his trepidation; he does it only to maintain his reputation and, most importantly, because he doesn’t want Cody to think that he’s way too happy to see him.

Play it cool, Fox, play it cool…

He plants his feet on the ground once he spots Cody, having to fight the instinct to run at him. That would be highly improper for someone of his rank.

Thankfully, Cody spots him immediately and he waves at him, removing his bucket. Fox is almost blinded by his smile; it’s been a while since he’s seen him this relaxed.

“Fox, didn’t expect to see you here,” he greets him once they’re close enough. Fox smiles under his bucket; he could remove it but he figures that they’re not alone enough for that - old habits die hard he supposes.

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises,” comes the reply then, earning a chuckle from Cody.

“Speaking of surprises…” he says then. “General Kenobi told me about this tea house in the city that makes the best tea of all Coruscant. What do you say if we get you something other than caf in your system for a change?”

Cody can’t see him but Fox rolls his eyes at his words, though he ignores the jab at him -which, by the way, is completely false. Now more than ever he’s grateful for his bucket, so he doesn’t risk appearing too overjoyed by that proposal. What did he say? Play it cool.

“If you insist, I suppose I can make some time for you…” he says then, hands on his hips.

“Awesome! I’ve got some stuff to take care of now, you know, Marshal Commander stuff,” Cody replies. Yeah, Fox is aware of their duties quite well. “I’ll comm you when I’m done.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Cody smiles at him, then he begins to step away, surely to join his General, leaving Fox alone again.

Only now he removes his bucket, since there’s nobody he needs to hide his face from.

He mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that this outing between him and Cody means more than it actually does, but he can’t help but to be happy about it; he truly can’t wait to see him again.

Unbeknownst to him, Cody feels the exact same.


	4. Tech/Wrecker - Mischief

“Why should I even agree to do this?” Tech immediately asks.

“Because it’s fun!” Wrecker replies, as if Tech doesn’t know his actual motive, something that he doesn’t hesitate to make known.

“No, it’s because you like these stupid games because you always win,” he says in fact. For what other reason would Wrecker come to him of all people challenging him to a throwing competition?

This is nothing new however: Wrecker does tend to get restless, and when he does he often turns to challenging the others to some sort of contest, anything to battle the boredom. It’s not like Tech doesn’t understand him, but he also doesn’t want him to get cocky after an easy win, because let’s face, he’d never be able to beat him.

Wait, _unless…_

“You know what?” he says. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Awesome! Then we--”

“ _But not now._ ”

“What do you mean ‘not now’?” Wrecker asks, confused.

“I mean that I need time to prepare. What? You thought I’d be able to do it immediately?” Tech replies, patting on Wrecker’s bicep. “I don’t wanna lose to you.”

At that, Wrecker burst into laughter; it isn’t a mocking laughter though, he genuinely finds it funny but not in a bad way.

“Alright, I’ll give you some time,” he says, jovially slapping Tech’s shoulder and almost sending him fumbling ahead. “Come find me when you’re ready!”

Tech has to fight really hard to hide the smirk on his face, but he manages. “Don’t worry big guy, I will.”

It takes less time than Tech thought to get ready, which is good because eventually Wrecker would’ve grown bored of waiting and he would’ve sought him out to finally do this challenge.

It wasn’t easy to hide his project from him, given how close they are, Tech had to utilize every single moment in which they weren’t together to work on it. Thankfully he could’ve counted on the others’ help who, having gotten wind of Tech’s plan, did their best to keep Wrecker away from him; they’re true friends.

Now that he’s finally ready, however, he doesn’t need to avoid it anymore, and actually, he goes straight to him. It’s not hard to find him, Tech only had to follow the noise - he never was that stealthy to begin with.

Mh, looks like Wrecker’s doing some weights. Tech almost feels bad for interrupting him so he just leans against the doors and waits for him to be done, which might be just an excuse to admire his body. What? If Wrecker didn’t want to be watched, he could’ve sealed the doors. Besides, those back muscles look so good that Tech can’t help but to stare…

He chuckles at the startled way Wrecker turns towards him when he finally speaks - he hadn’t noticed him at all.

“Hey there, big guy…”

“Holy-- Tech! How long have you been there?” Yes, Wrecker really hadn’t noticed him.

“A while,” Tech replies, a smirk on his face that gets soon mirrored by the other.

“I see, I see. Enjoying the show, huh?” he comments, flexing his arm. Tech has to bite his lower lip or else he’d say something that would completely deviate from his original purpose.

Concentrate, Tech! Now’s not the time to get distracted!

“Not really, actually,” he says. “I came here for the challenge.”

Wrecker still doesn’t drop the smirk. “Oh? You think you’re ready?”

“I don’t think I’m ready, _I am_ ,” Tech replies, trying very hard not to sound cocky, but he can’t help it, not with his secret weapon. Sure, it might be cheating, but Wrecker never set any rule about using technology, so technically he’s not breaking them.

Wrecker picks up on the tone, however, and he looks more than intrigued. He’s figured that Tech must have some sort of plan, which makes him curious.

“Let’s get going then.”

They walk out of the Havok Marauder, not wanting to break anything inside, and get settled on the clearing they have landed. Miles and miles of plain fields, the perfect zone for a throwing contest.

“What do we get if we win?” Tech can’t help but to ask.

“Huh?” Wrecker replies, scratching the back of his neck. “I didn’t really think about that…”

Typical Wrecker, he throws himself into any kind of challenge without even thinking about what comes next.

“How about who wins gets a kiss?” he proposes.

“But we already kiss all the time!” Wrecker replies. “What would make that special?”

“It would be a victory kiss…” Tech explains, though he himself isn’t that convinced about that. Kissing was the first thing that came to mind, that why he suggested it.

Wrecker thinks about it just a moment, then he nods.

“Yeah, makes sense. I think…” he says, turning immediately towards Tech again. “So, are we doing this?”

“Ladies first,” Tech jokes, though he’s serious about wanting Wrecker to go first.

They’ve agreed to throw one EMP grenade each, since they don’t want to cause actual harm to the environment. That kind of grenades is harmful only to droids, so they should be safe.

Wrecker weighs the one in his hand, juggling it a bit. His stare is fixed ahead of him, observing a potential target.

The rules are simple: whoever throws the grenade furthest wins.

Tech smiles, stretching his hand. If only Wrecker would’ve noticed that his armor is slightly different from the usual he might’ve questioned what he did to it, which by the way is nothing too major: just a thruster that will help him launch the grenade further and give it a little boost.

He feels a bit bad about what he’s doing, but how does that saying go? In war and love there are no rules. Sure this might not be as serious as actual war, but hey they’re still soldiers, so he guesses it counts. He isn’t sure about that, and actually is pretty sure that it’s just some excuse that he’s ramble-y brain came up with, but whatever. Not everything has to be serious: sometimes he might just want to do something just for the sake of doing it, or just for the sake of general mischief in this particular case.

Wrecker goes completely still, just for a moment, then he throws the grenade. It flies through the air through an ample arc. Tech doesn’t have his bucket on so he can’t calculate the exact distance, but he doesn’t need it to discern that it’s _a lot_ ; it makes him wonder if even the help of technology will be enough to win this. Not that it would be such a huge loss, but c’mon he does have some pride.

They’re barely able to hear the sound of the EMP grenade detonate, which prompts Wrecker to turn towards Tech with an excited gaze.

“Pretty good, huh?”

“Yeah…” Tech can’t help but to admit, sounding genuinely impressed. Ok, maybe he won’t be that mad if he loses after all.

It’s his turn now.

He takes Wrecker’s place, observing the field in front of him. He didn’t want to use his bucket to calculate the trajectory because he felt that would’ve been too much cheating, but now he finds himself regretting it.

He does his best to understand the wind’s direction and use this information to figure out what his best throwing angle will be. Eventually, however, Wrecker has to yell at him: “We don’t have all day!”

“R-Right, sorry…” he apologizes, deciding to wind it. If it works, good, if it doesn’t, at least he tried.

He almost dislocates his shoulder for who strongly the machinery in his armor pulls at it, and after throwing the grenade, Tech finds himself stumbling a few steps ahead before finding some semblance of equilibrium back.

In a moment Wrecker’s by his side, holding him up.

“Shit, Tech! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think I am,” the other replies, not wanting Wrecker to worry for nothing.

They wait, they wait and they wait, but after loosing track of the grenade, they still haven’t heard the sound of its detonation, which means…

The realization hits them both at the same time, making them turn towards each other, Tech with a cocky gaze and Wrecker with a surprised one.

“Looks like I--”

“No way!” Wrecker immediately exclaims. “Something must’ve gone wrong!”

“Yeah, like?” Tech challenges him.

“Oh I don’t know… Maybe it just didn’t detonate!”

“Wrecker, they’ve never not detonate, so why it should’ve done it now?”

“I just…”

“Face it, big guy, I won.”

Every bad feeling Tech had about this dissipates into nothing as he watches Wrecker try to make sense of all this. It’s really fun to watch.

“You used some trick! There’s no other way!”

“So what? You never mentioned anything about them,” Tech points out, the smile still on his face.

“… Shit, you’re right,” Wrecker finally realizes. This is as close as an admission that he lost that Tech is going to get, so he’ll let that be enough. Besides…

He turns his face towards Wrecker, exposing his cheek.

“So? I’m waiting for my prize.”

He hears Wrecker huff, then he suddenly grabs Tech by the chin, forcing him to turn his face again so that he can press their lips together, which isn’t what Tech was expecting - not that he’s complaining, of course.

When they pull away, Wrecker’s still pouting, though it’s obvious that he’s forcing himself to keep it up.

“Happy now?” he asks, and Tech can’t help but to laugh, leaning closer for another kiss.

“Yes.”


	5. Cody/Wolffe - Order 66

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pain

TK-2224 knows why he’s been called: there’s news of clone troopers having joined the Resistance, which makes him, one of the few clones still alive - the rest has been deemed too weak to waste resources on - their best weapon against them, being familiar with how they operate and all that.

He feels honored for having been deemed worthy enough of such a task. He won’t disappoint - he knows the price to pay for failure will be high to pay.

He’s been handled a few datapads with all the information and footage in the Empire’s database and he’s dutifully studying them, not wanting to make a bad impression by missing anything.

Two of these names catch his attention: he feels a distant something - something that once he would’ve been able to identify - and he reads the designation CT-7567, but there’s one designation that makes him feel ever worse.

Former CC-3636, also known as Wolffe. That name, somehow, shakes something inside Cody, something that used to be familiar but has gone long forgotten.

He knew him, didn’t he?

It’s not that unlikely, since they’ve all fought in the Clone Wars.

TK-2224 is ashamed to admit that his memories of the event are quite fuzzy. He never dared mentioning it to anyone out of fear that he would be decommissioned, so he’s a secret he keeps only to himself.

By the fact that nobody mentioned anything else, not even the Admirals that have fought in the Clone Wars as well, he figures that, even if they knew each other, they mustn’t have been that close, or else he would’ve surely been questioned.

… Unless this is a test? No, TK-2224 figures; they don’t have time to waste for such a small matter. He might be important for this peculiar matter, but TK-2224 knows his true place; if they wanted to get rid of him they would’ve done it without any need for this charade.

No, then, he mustn’t have known them that well, even though they seem familiar.

There’s something he can’t explain, however, a sense of emptiness that is eating him from the inside and leaving him breathless, hurting, _raw_.

Why does CC-3636’s name shake him so much? Why does he have such a visceral reaction to it?

Could it be that they…

He’ll carry on with his duty as he’s been ordered to. Whether he knew him or not, CC-3636 is still a traitor, and he must die like all the traitors do.

… Then why are TK-2224’s hands shaking? Why does he feel like he’s drowning? Why does he feel like he wants to scream until he has no more voice?

He doesn’t know, but maybe finding the traitor will bring him some answers - no, it doesn’t matter. He just has to die.

_Good soldiers follow orders._

Then why does it hurt so much?


	6. Cody/Fox - Evil AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It turned out less evil than I intended but still, I hope you like it!

The Chancellor has really made a big mistake underestimating the clones, Fox thinks. Or at least he shouldn’t have been so dumb as to delegate all his paperwork to Fox, who, of course, has picked up immediately on a few suspicious activities, and by a few he means lots of them.

He’s able to discover all the intricate webs of the Chancellor’s lies and sinister plots in less than a week. All of Palpatine machinations lay bare upon his gaze.

This calls for some action: if the Chancellor thinks Fox will just sit idly and watch his brother turn into slaves for the future Empire, then he must’ve really underestimated him.

The first step has to be the hardest one: contacting all the Commanders in secret - if they’re discovered now it would be the end. After being able to meet, he explains the situation, much to the everyone’s rage. Some might argue that they’re already slaves, but at least they still have their individuality; to be stripped of that too, that’s inconceivable.

At the end of the meeting, they’ve all reached an agreement: Palpatine needs to die, and the galaxy needs someone else at its apex.

It’s time to turn the slaves into the new dominators.

The Jedi are less of a problem than anticipated: their ranks have dramatically decreased since the beginning of the war, so even if they tried, what could they do against all of the vode?

They all went to a voluntary exile in an Outer Rim planet, which pleases Fox because he knew nobody would’ve wanted to fight against them - and the feeling was mutual.

Besides, didn’t they bring peace and order in the galaxy, which was exactly the objective of the war in the first place?

The Red Emperor, this is how people have begun to call Fox. He finds himself liking this new title.

He still keeps his face covered even now; he hasn’t foregone the Guard’s helmet, a way to remind people of his origins.

Only one person is allowed to see him without it - he doesn’t take it off not even in the presence of his closest vode anymore - and that person is the same that warms his bed every night.

Despite the fact that he could be accused of favoritism by making Cody the head of the Imperial Army - not that anyone dares to make that point to him - Fox knows that it’s been the smartest choice: Cody is competent, scarily so, and ruthless when he wants to be, which is something that, given the situation, Fox needs.

He’s quiet, now, has been for a while, sitting on the bed with the sheet barely covering his body, as he stares down at their Empire - after being confined into such small spaces, Fox has ordered the biggest chamber they could get as their personal quarters, complete with a full window view of Coruscant.

Fox, lying on his back, takes a moment to admire his lover. Coruscant’s lights make him seem almost ethereal.

Eventually, however, he rises, circling Cody’s waist from behind with his arm, leaving lazy kisses on his shoulder.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks. A loaded question, he knows, but he doesn’t like it when Cody is too quiet; if he has something to say, he should just say it.

Cody doesn’t reply immediately; he keeps staring at the city surrounding them.

“We truly did it,” he mutters then. “This is truly ours.”

It’s with slow and deliberate movements that Fox guides Cody to lean down, settling then over him.

He kisses him, he kisses his and he kisses him once again.

Admiring his Empire might be fun and all, but Fox’s most precious possession is right here with him, and he needs nothing else.


	7. Fox/Wolffe - Role Reversal AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring Guard!Wolffe and 104th!Fox

“Wolffe, you absolute chakaar! You dumb di’kut! You--”

“Hello to you too, Fox.”

Wolffe had no idea the 104th was back on Coruscant, but if he’s surprised to see Fox come barging in his office, he doesn’t show it. His mild amusement is great at hiding things, he’s found out.

“Don’t you just ‘hello’ me, you fool!” the other retorts, clearly unhappy. “You think I wouldn’t hear?”

Wolffe knows that was he’s doing is risky, but it’s so amusing to push Fox’s buttons that he can’t help it anyway.

“Hear what?” he asks in fact, pretending that he has no idea about what Fox is talking about - he knows, of course, he knows too well.

Fox takes the bait, but maybe a bit too aggressively, judging by the way he stomps towards his desk only to grab him by his shoulders.

“Why can’t you understand that they’re going to decommission you if you keep acting like this!”

That’s the heart of the problem, isn’t it?

Wolffe will never not be surprised at the fact that they’ve decided to put him in charge of the Guard: maybe it’s because he seemed the most diplomatic of the batch. Seemed, because things soon changed once Wolffe realized just how bad things are for them, something he has to stand up for, even at the cost of becoming more bitter with the times and getting rid of all the softness that he once felt - not that this stops him when he knows he’s safe, like he is now, alone with Fox.

What can he say, he refuses to have he and his brothers being treated like simple props, even if this entails calling a Senator exactly what he is, which is a piece of…

“I’m too good, they can’t afford to replace me,” he retorts. He’s not saying it just because he’s cocky, it’s the actual truth: Wolffe does an astounding job with the Guard, he’s too good of an asset to be replaced, and he knows it, which means that, more often than not, he uses this information to his advantage, protecting his vode and making sure that the Senators know that their bad behavior won’t be tolerated.

“You say this now, but how do you know it’s going to be like this forever?” Fox asks. “I just-- Ugh! You’re impossible!”

In a moment he completely deflates, and the smirk on Wolffe’s face dies once he notices how worried he looks. Alright, enough joking around.

He takes Fox’s head between his hands, dragging him closer to press their foreheads together.

“Fox, you don’t know how it’s like here. I need to do this because if I don’t we’re going to get trampled. I need to stand for what is right.”

“I know, I know, I just…” Fox begins. “… I worry for you.”

Wolffe doesn’t wait anymore and he kisses him. As predicted, Fox returns the kiss in kind, hungry and desperate. They’ve both missed each other so much.

“I’m here, cyar’ika,” Wolffe whispers once they pull away. “I’m here.”

Fox nods, though he doesn’t look much better than he did before, which prompts Wolffe to guide him to the couch.

“How about I get us something to drink? You can tell me what you’ve been up to.”

“Yeah, I would like that.”

After the first couple of glasses of corellian whiskey, Fox already looks much better.

Wolffe still has to get used to his new grey armor - it used to be red, just like the Guard’s. It doesn’t mash well with his vibrant red hair, but Wolffe is getting used to it. If anything, what really pains him is the reason behind this color change; losing men never feels good, and to lose that many…

Honestly, Wolffe is surprised about how well Fox seems to have taken it, at least on a surface level, though he can see how deeply affected he’s been by the Malevolence incident. He’s not going to lie, he’s worried about him: Fox has begun shutting him - and everyone else - down more and more often, and sometimes he looks like he hasn’t slept for weeks even.

This war is ruining him.

And yet, right now Fox looks like he did when they were first dispatched. Wolffe likes to think that it’s because of him but who knows, maybe it’s just because here on Coruscant he doesn’t have to fight. There’s no war here after all, it’s easy to forget about it, or at least pretend it doesn’t exist.

Well, who cares if it’s because of him or not; as Fox scoots closer, resting his head on Wolffe’s shoulder, exhaling with a happy smile on his face, Wolffe finds himself completely drawn to him, and what else can he do, then, if not dragging him for a kiss, and then another and another again? He swears, he’ll never get enough of his lips; it must be because they have much time spent apart to make up for. How does the saying go? Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Oh well, knowing how things are, it could be worse, way worse than this, right?

At this point, he’ll take what he can get.


	8. Cody/Wolffe - Hurt/Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during Rebels. Old men clones time

Another day, another war to fight. Wolffe should be used to it, but to be honest every day feels harder that the previous one, even though now he has weekly appointments with a mind healer; he’s been told that it’s normal, that progress isn’t always about going up, but he’s tired of this nonetheless.

It’s during these moments of particular weakness that he allows himself to imagine Cody sitting beside him, calling him a di’kut and a chakaar; he has to bite his tongue not to reply to him, knowing that if someone saw him talking to nothing it wouldn’t be pretty.

It hurts, hurts like nothing else, but it also brings him a strange sense of comfort to imagine his lost love. In Wolffe’s mind, he hasn’t aged a day since the last time they saw each other: his hair isn’t white, no wrinkles adorn his face, his gaze is still fiery and determined, body toned and ready to jump to action if the situation requires it.

In moments of even greater weakness, Wolffe wishes he were there with him.

He’s failed him, he’s failed him so bad: instead of trying to rescue him, he’s decided to hide, broken and afraid. Now he doesn’t even know if he’s alive or not; deep down inside, he hopes he’s dead, knowing that Cody would hate what the Empire has done to him and the rest of the vode.

Even deeper down he really must want him to be alive, because as soon as the news of the Empire having sent a squad of purge troopers after them, he immediately begins to hope that he’d find a familiar face behind one of the buckets.

By the footage they’ve gathered of this squad, one of them does appear to move like one of them; it’s not a feeling that can be described, a sort of sixth sense that makes him, Rex and Gregor understand immediately that it’s a brother.

Now comes the hard question: what should they do about the mysterious vod? Trying to free him would be a tedious task, but if Wolffe has learned something about the Ghost company - he can’t speak for all the Rebel Alliance cause he still doesn’t trust the organization as a whole - is that if there’s a chance that they might get to save even just one life, they’ll take it with no hesitation.

So they ask, almost beg even - if only their pride didn’t stop them before they could - to help, and are all relieved when they agree to help them free their vod.

“Wolffe, do you think…”

“I don’t know.”

He was about to chew Rex out for having had enough courage to say what Wolffe himself has been thinking for a while, but he supposes he should at least be grateful of the fact that he’s been sensible enough to wait until he and Wolffe were alone to talk about it.

Rex sighs, sitting beside him. They weren’t built to sustain being alone for too long, meaning that the closeness is now much appreciated.

“I don’t want to believe it,” Wolffe admits in the end. “Because if it’s not him, then…”

“I know,” Rex nods, understandingly. “I know…”

They remain silent, knowing that it’s best to close this discussion before they can begin making theories that would only result into them getting hurt once they find out the truth.

It must seem pretty gloomy from an outside perspective, because when Gregor finally gets to join them, he too doesn’t say anything; he just walks up to them, settling on the other side of Wolffe and immediately closing his arms around his brothers.

Even as old men, they’d never say no to a good ol’ cuddle pile.

The plan is simple: they need to isolate the clone from his companions, so that they can drag him away and have his chip removed. Ghost company will take care of the other troopers, while Wolffe, Rex and Gregor will take care of the clone.

All three of them have been granted a tranquilizer syringe that they will use to get the vod to sleep; it doesn’t feel good having to do something like this, but it’s necessary.

Wolffe’s so nervous…

This feeling of uneasiness accompanies him throughout the entire mission. He and his brothers are supposed to pretend that they’re on a recon mission, and that they haven’t noticed they’ve been followed, thus convincing the purge team to strike and ambush them, only to be then ambushed by the rest of the Ghost team.

Well, it doesn’t sound like a professional tactic at all, but it’s not like Wolffe isn’t familiar with unconventional tactics at all; his Jedi - traitor, no, Jedi… no! - might’ve been more reasonable than Skywalker, but he’s winged it many times as well, with Wolffe that had to chase after him to keep him alive.

Honestly, as long as it works…

Somehow, it does work.

Wolffe will have to thank whatever cosmic entity governs the universe that it did, but not now. Now he needs to focus on the task at hand.

They have surrounded the vod, though he doesn’t seem intimidated by the situation. Wolffe wonders if he’s capable of feeling anything at all.

Just hang on, brother. You’ll be free soon.

Despite being flanked, the trooper’s holding his own: he’s knocked the blaster right out Wolffe’s hands, and the two of them are stuck into a hand-to-hand combat. Wolffe isn’t as young as he used to be, and it’s hard for him to keep up; just what the hell have they given to this trooper? He should be as old as Wolffe and yet he moves faster and hits harder than he should be able to do.

The worst thing is how familiar this all feels to Wolffe: he’s spent so many sparring sessions dancing around like this with…

He gets kicked to the face by a powerful roundhouse kick, which makes him stumble, but after shaking his head slightly, Wolffe recovers immediately, knowing that even a moment of distraction could be fatal in situations like this one.

There’s no time for hesitation, and after yelling his heart out he rushes at him, tackling him to the ground in one go. The trooper immediately tries to free himself, kicking and screaming, but no matter how much he’s hurting him, Wolffe doesn’t let him go. He’ll be damned before he does that.

Immediately Rex and Gregor rush to him, Gregor going to remove the bucket while Rex prepares the tranquillizer.

As soon as the helmet’s removed, Wolffe feels the bile rising in his stomach - he’s so close to vomiting. There’s no mistaking that brow scar: indeed the trooper that has been sent after them is Cody.

“Cody…” Wolffe can’t help but to mutter.

Cody doesn’t stop struggling; it’s like he doesn’t even recognize his name. It hurts watching him like this, it hurts so much, but soon he’ll be free.

Even with him pinned it’s hard for Rex to get him tranquillized: not seeing any alternative, Cody has begun biting. Wolffe’s gotta give it to him, he still has his combative spirit.

Once Cody goes limp, eyes closing as unconsciousness takes over, Wolffe can finally relax.

He should pull away, get up and take Cody to the ship, but he still doesn’t move, curled protectively around Cody, _his_ Cody, who is back to him, or well, he will be hopefully.

“Wolffe, we need to go!” It’s Rex the one who brings him back to reality. Right, Gregor’s cover fire can protect them only for so long.

“Right…” he mutters, only now getting up. He’s still the first one who reaches for Cody, resting his body on his shoulder as they begin to make their retreat, leaving the Ghost crew to deal with the rest of Cody’s squadmates.

Wolffe would feel bad about leaving them on their own, if not for the fact that they need to bring Cody to safety. This is his priority, now.

“It’s going to be alright.”

Wolffe knows Rex is saying it more to reassure himself than to reassure him, so he stays silent. On the other side of the wall, Cody is undergoing to chip removal surgery.

He has no idea about what he’ll find after it’s over: first of all there’s not even the certainty that it’ll work, secondly, if it does, will Cody be the same Cody Wolffe knew and loved, or will he be different? Just how much of his old self will be in there? Wolffe’s afraid to find out.

In an attempt to distract himself from those thoughts, he focuses on how Cody looked when they’ve found him; his hair has gotten completely white as well, and it’s shorter than his usual cut. What caught his attention however isn’t that, nor the wrinkles or anything else that he already sees on his own old face, but the new scars he had at the corner of his mouth and on his right eyebrow, which makes him wonder how he got those; if he finds the cause of them, he swears to the Force itself…

He gets pulled away from those thoughts when the medic comes out of the room.

“How did it go?” Wolffe immediately asks, worried. _Please let him be fine please let him be fine please let him be fine_ \--

“The chip has been removed successfully, but… He doesn’t remember anything.”

Wolffe freezes in his place, what does he…

“It’s still too early to discern if it’s just a momentary condition or not. For now let him rest and recuperate from the surgery, then I’ll see that you can visit him.”

Wolffe almost drops to his knees as the news comes crashing down upon him.

Have they really lost Cody then? Just right when they thought they had gotten him back?

Why? Why did this have to happen to him?

“Wolffe? _Wolffe!_ ”

Rex shakes his vod, who only then comes back to his sense.

“Y-Yeah? What is it?”

“You need to calm down, vod. Get some rest.”

“I can’t, Cody… He’s in there,” Wolffe replies. He must be so pathetic, but he doesn’t have the energy to put himself together at the moment. This is all so confusing and painful it makes him want to _scream_.

“And he’d want you to get some rest,” Rex retorts, gently - but firmly - grabbing Wolffe by the shoulders. “I want to stay too, but I know Cody wouldn’t want us to neglect our health for him.”

He’s right, damn it, he’s right, Wolffe knows it, but… He sighs. Fine.

“Alright, let’s go…”

There have been only a couple of times in which Wolffe has felt this defeated, and yet, in the bleakness of it all, there’s still a ray of hope: Cody’s condition might not be permanent, and even if it were, Wolffe swears he’ll still stay by his side.

It’s the least he can do, as a penance for not being able to save him sooner.

“Did it really happen?”

“Of course it did! Would I lie to you about it?”

“Well…”

Wolffe should be mad, but there’s a smile on Cody’s face as he speaks, so he can’t really bring himself to do it, even at the cost of his own dignity.

He’s gotten used, by now, to Cody not remembering. It was painful during their first visits - he couldn’t even stay in his presence for too long or else it would’ve become too much - but they’ve made progress.

Cody’s still in forced rest, and Wolffe does whatever he can to remain by his side. He might’ve reverted to some old habits he had before everything went to shit, but he still tries to keep his distance, since he can’t be certain that Cody would want him to act like he used to, not while he doesn’t remember him.

One thing that surprised him the most is that Cody asked him - and not just him, but Rex too since they were close as well - to tell him stories of their past. Wolffe has no idea if it’s just so that he can distract himself from everything else that is going on around them, or if he genuinely wants to remember. Nonetheless, he’s more than happy do to it, which brings us to the present.

“You’re telling me that you pushed me forward when Alpha asked for a volunteer to show off a grappling move, that I got my ass kicked, but then I used the same move on you on our next sparring match?”

It pains Wolffe that he sounds so doubtful of his skills, or of anything else about him. He’s familiar with how it feels like not knowing who you are anymore - he’s gone through the same things, and he’s not even sure he’s over it now. This Cody has no idea about how great of a person he used to be, which makes it Wolffe’s job to remind him.

“Yeah, you whooped my shebs,” he replies. “Somehow you’ve managed to pull that move off after being subjected to it only once. It was infuriatingly impressive.”

A light smirk appears on Cody’s face.

“Sounds like someone’s jealous.”

Despite everything, Cody still teases him like he used to do when he was himself. Maybe this isn’t such a lost battle after all.

Days pass, then weeks. Wolffe still doesn’t stop visiting Cody and staying by his side, alternating with Rex since Cody himself seemed quite unhappy about the fact that he was neglecting his health for him - Rex was right about that.

His memory still hasn’t come back completely, but he’s beginning to remember some small things, especially names, which might’ve not been that great, since now he must also carry the weight of the knowledge that, of all his old friends and acquaintances, very few remain.

Even though sometimes Wolffe can’t help but to feel hopeless about this whole deal - what if Cody never comes back? What if he doesn’t want him anymore? - he still keeps going, pushing himself for him.

Until…

“Oh, Wolffe…”

“What is it, Cody?”

Cody stretches a trembling hand towards him; he’s shaking.

“ _Wolffe, I remember…_ ”

A chocked sob escapes his lips, and Wolffe’s immediately beside him, keeping him tight in his arms, whispering that everything’s fine, that he’s safe.

“I-- We… We kissed, I remember,” Cody continues. “It was right before Utapau. You told me that I’d better come back alive or that you would’ve killed me again.”

At those words, even Wolffe can’t hold back some tears. What Cody just said really happened: it was the last time they saw each other before the Republic fell. The fact that Cody remembers it now is… _great_.

“Yes, we did,” he says then, knowing that Cody needs a confirmation that yes, it’s all real.

Silence falls between the two, before Cody reaches a realization.

“Shit,” he mutters, eyes wide and a horrified expression on his face. “Wolffe, I’m so sorry--”

“Nothing about this is your fault,” Wolffe interrupts him before he can say some really di’kutla shit. “You didn’t ask for this, and don’t you think that I blame you for this, because I don’t.”

Cody nods, not saying anything about it. Nobody mentions the fact that they’re both crying.

They must be such a pathetic view, two old fucks crying their eyes out like a bunch of shinies, but that’s not what matters.

“Do you want me to stay here?” Wolffe asks, afraid that, now that he’s beginning remembering things, his presence might be too much for Cody. He doesn’t want to leave him, but if he needs a moment - or more of them - alone, he’d be willing to grant him that.

At those words, however, Cody grabs his arm, keeping it tight in his own.

“ _Please_ ,” he says, sounding so vulnerable that he breaks Wolffe’s heart.

They make some space on the cot to accommodate both of them. It’s a tight fit but it works just fine.

Things are still pretty bleak but there’s still hope.

Who knows, maybe it’s really beginning to get better.


	9. Cody/Fox/Wolffe - Happy Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some old men again!

Wolffe has no idea about how he’s still alive, how any of them still are for the matter, but there’s no changing reality.

After The Emperor’s death, they’ve arrested all the stormtroopers, but they were all surprised to find that some of them are still surviving clones, which brought a bit of a divide inside the Rebellion, with one part that wanted to still punish them, while the other wanted to free them; it’s easy to imagine for which part Wolffe fought for: they’ve been treated like slaves throughout their entire lives, they weren’t going to be treated like that now as well, less than anything by a system that is supposed to be better than the Empire.

In the end, the side in favor of the clones has won, which means that the days right after the event have been quite busy for Wolffe, as more and more brothers got de-chipped. He’s not a medic, but what he could offer is moral support to the just freed vode - they all needed it, so much.

To think that between all these brothers there were Cody and Fox too… It feels so good that Wolffe’s afraid that it’s just a dream, something he’ll wake up from sooner or later.

Despite everything, however, he still hasn’t woken up, so either it’s a very long dream or it’s real, and frankly as long as he gets to experience having Cody and Fox back to him even for just a little, Wolffe doesn’t care which one it is.

It’s not perfect, far from it actually, but at least they’re all here, they’re all alive. Given that Wolffe thought his old lovers were dead, this is already a great improvement.

Naboo isn’t the planet he thought he’d end up retiring in, but he’s not going to complain about it; they have been granted a small but comfortable house all for themselves, close to the lake, which means that sometimes they have to interact with some gungans, but it’s not that often so it’s not too bad.

Wolffe had thought of Coruscant at first, but then given Fox’s reaction to it - he almost fell sick at the mere thought of going back there - he decided against it.

At first it’s weird settling into such a domestic pattern, but they’ve all longed for something like this, so the transition goes far more smoothly than anticipated.

“I’m back!” Wolffe exclaims, closing the door behind him. He’s gone to the market to grab some fresh fruit and he’s just made it back home.

He expected the other two to reply to him but he’s met with silence. Uh, where did they go?

Before panic can settle in his mind, luckily for Wolffe, he finds them immediately as he ventures further inside.

_Oh._

He hears Cody’s soft snores before he actually sees him, but once he does he can’t hide a smile at the view under his eyes of Cody and Fox asleep on the couch, with Fox all curled up over Cody’s body.

Seeing them like this makes Wolffe glad that he hasn’t woken them up; he knows they need as much sleep as they can, since most nights end up with them staying all awake because of the nightmares that still plague their minds - he doubts they’ll ever stop.

Looking at them now, however, Wolffe can’t help but to notice how peaceful they are, unbothered by the world surrounding them. Ah, he wishes it could always be like this.

Still, it’s better than nothing, right? Things could’ve been much worse, and Wolffe knows it.

Unfortunately, he has to leave to go to the kitchen, where he can leave the fruit he’s bought which means that he can’t watch them anymore. Thinking about it, though, he might prepare something nice for them to eat after they wake up; yes, he’s going to do exactly that. He bets they’ll be happy about it.

It's during these small moments that he couldn’t be more grateful that they’ve all got another chance in life, even if one could argue that there isn’t much they can do now, but that’s not what matters. They’re all a little battered and broken, but they’ve managed to find each other again, and even if for just another little while, they can live like they were always meant to.


	10. Jesse/Tup - Mutual Pining

It’s hard to focus on their task, Jesse finds, and no matter how hard he tries to stay on the job, he can’t help but to glance at Tup more often than not.

They’ve been sent out to scout the territory, and Jesse isn’t really doing a great job of it, not at all.

It’s Rex’s fault for sending him with Tup, not his! Well, to be fair to the Captain, he doesn’t know that Jesse might have some sort of crush towards the other trooper, so it’s not like he picked them on purpose, it’s just that they happen to be good at their job.

“Will you keep quiet?”

“Huh?”

Tup comes to a halt, and Jesse almost bumps into him.

“Your steps,” he whispers then, “They could be heard from miles away.”

“Oh… Sorry,” Jesse whispers back. He usually isn’t that bad at stealth - not as good as Tup is, but still - but today he’s been so in over his head that he hasn’t even considered trying to make less noise.

After a moment of pause, Tup asks him: “Are you ok, Jesse?”

Aw, that’s sweet: instead of simply marching on, he’s worrying about him… What the hell is he thinking? Focus, Jesse, for Fett’s sake!

“Yeah… Yeah! I’m fine,” he quickly replies then.

Tup cocks his head to the side, a sign that he doesn’t entirely believe him, but luckily for Jesse he doesn’t push him, and after a moment he turns around, moving again. Jesse follows him immediately.

That little moment has been enough for Jesse to gather enough focus to do his job. If something happened to them just because he wasn’t paying attention he would’ve died of shame.

They’ve also been lucky not to find any suspicious activity, at least not in the zone they’ve patrolled. They can safely come back to report to Rex, so they make it back to camp.

“I can’t wait to get back,” Jesse groans, exhausted. His feet hurt and he feels all sweaty and gross. As soon as he gets back, he’s taking a shower, and nobody will stop him.

“Same,” Tup replies. Unlike Jesse, however, he’s still on high alert. Even after having made more experience, he still hasn’t lost his nervous edge, which sometimes is useful because it keeps him sharp. They won’t be ambushed today, not until he’s still surveilling their surroundings.

At this point Jesse should shut up and let he and Tup get back to camp in silence, but he blurts out the words before he can stop himself - damn him and his impulsiveness.

“Hey, are you doing anything later?”

“Unless Rex has something for me to do, no. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking…” C’mon Jesse, come up with something. “There isn’t really much we can do here, but… I mean…”

“Do you want to do something together?” Tup asks, saving Jesse further embarrassment.

“Yes! Yes, I’d like that,” he replies. “How did you know that’s what I wanted?”

“Well,” Tup chuckles at this point, “You aren’t exactly subtle…”

Oh…

Oh, wait! Oh fuck!

“You--” Jesse’s about to say, but he’s pushed down by Tup before he can finish.

Judging by the sound of a blaster shot that whistles right past his ear, it’s safe to assume that now it’s not the right time to continue that conversation.

“We’ll talk later!” Tup exclaims, already shooting.

Damn it, they’ve been interrupted right when things were beginning to get juicy! Oh well, it’s not like there’s much Jesse can do now: they need to defend themselves.

“By the way, I like you too!” Tup surprisingly exclaims. There are so many things Jesse wants to say, but he knows it’ll have to wait until they’re safe.

At least what he thought was just a hopeless crush might not be that hopeless after all, but if they don’t survive, it’ll all be in vain!

As if Jesse needed another excuse to stay alive.


	11. Jessix - One of them is injured

Battles are always hectic; it’s hard to follow everything that happens around you, though experience helps keeping track of the most important things.

To Jesse, they’re always a blur right after they’re over. Once they begin it’s like he enters some sort of sleep mode where his body takes control entirely and moves on its own.

There’s nothing clearer to him now, however, than what’s going on around him, even though it’s like he’s watching a holovideo, like he’s not really there.

All he knows is that Kix is on the ground, having pushed Jesse to take the blaster fire that was mean for him. He still hasn’t moved.

… Shit!

What is he supposed to do?

In a moment Jesse is back within himself, taking everything in. It’s then that he rushes by Kix’s side, taking his hand and dragging his body just like he’s seen Kix do so many other times. What is he doing? He’s no medic, he can’t help him!

Although that’s true, he needs to get him out of the way, and he hasn’t seen nobody else approach him with this intent; the medics must have their hands full already, so he figured that he’d do it himself.

Kix groans at the rough way he’s been handled, and it pains Jesse to hear him like this, but at least he knows he’s alive now. For a moment, just a fleeting moment, he thought…

Once they’re in a safe enough location, he makes an immediate request for an evac, then he slides Kix’s backpack off of him. He must have something to treat wounds, right? Of course he does, he’s the medic. He just needs to find the right thing…

“ _Jesse…_ ” It’s Kix.

“Kix!” Jesse immediately exclaims, turning towards him and removing his bucket from his head. He looks like shit. “Are you ok? Where are you hurt? Please tell me you’re going to make it--”

“Jesse!”

“… What?”

“You’re fussing too much,” Kix says. “Never do anything that would make a patient even more nervous than they already are.”

“Didn’t realize you were givin’ me a lesson,” Jesse grumbles, though he does his best not to move too much, or “fuss” like Kix called it, all despite his internal turmoil. After all, he knows this stuff better than he does.

Still, it was supposed to be the other way around.

Jesse was supposed to be the one hurting, and Kix the one who was going to make it better.

Why did he push him out of the way?

“Jesse…”

The di’kut…

“Jesse!”

“W-What?”

“I need you to listen to me…” Kix begins. It’s obvious that talking is hurting him, so Jesse pays him as much attention as he can, not wanting him to overtax himself much. “I’m going to walk you through the steps to treat the wound, okay? Can you do this for me?”

“Of course,” Jesse replies, a new kind of determination in his eyes. If there’s any way he can help, he’ll happily do it; he has no idea how useful he can be, but he’ll try his best. “Tell me what I need to do.”

Kix is surprisingly calm - if you exclude the pained whines that leave his lips from time to time - as he guides Jesse through the entire procedure and points him what he needs from his medkit to treat the wound.

Jesse does his best to follow through it, knowing that it’s on him to help Kix as they wait for the evac squad to arrive.

He’s no medic, of course, and he hands tremble as they apply the bacta patch as Kix told him to do. It’s becoming harder and harder for Kix to speak, but all Jesse can do is to keep applying pressure and hope that help comes soon.

He feels so useless.

The rest comes back to become a blur.

Finally the evac arrives, and Kix is brought away from the battlefield. He’s in good hands.

All Jesse needs to do now is to survive this battle so that he can see to his recovery, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do, no matter what.

He survives, of course he does. He gets to fight for another day.

What really matters now, however, is to find Kix, which is quite hard considering how full the infirmary is.

Eventually he manages, and as soon as he spots him, he rushes to his bedside.

“Kix!” he exclaims, noticing that he’s awake. “You’re alive!”

“Of course I am,” the other chuckles, although weakly. He looks better than he did before, but it’s obvious that he’ll need some rest.

Jesse reaches for his hands, holding them gently. He’s happy that Kix is recovering, but on the other hand he can’t help the fear that he might’ve screwed something up, and that’s the reason why Kix is in these conditions, not to mention the fact that the blaster fire that caught him was meant for Jesse in the first place.

“I’m sorry Kix, I should’ve--” he begins in fact, but he’s interrupted when Kix drags him for a kiss. When they pull away, it’s Kix’s turn to speak.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“But if I--”

Kix interrupts him again, this time by resting his finger against his lips.

“Jesse, you perfectly followed my instructions and you saved my life,” he says, smiling gratefully. “Thank you.”

The chuckle that leaves Jesse’s mouth is awkward, but he also feels extremely relieved.

“Of course, I couldn’t lose you, couldn’t I?” he replies then, taking Kix’s head between his hands before gently drawing their lips closer again, relieved that they’re both alive, that they’ve both made it.

Yes, he couldn’t lose him at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Kix to be the hurt one but I also didn't want him to be completely helpless.


	12. Crosshair/Tech - Fluff

Crosshair always keeps people at a distance, that’s just how he lives, and this counts also for the rest of the Bad Batch crew, though for them it’s just from a physical prospective.

He doesn’t like to be touched, that’s it. There are no other tearjerker explanations for it or anything of the sort.

Sometimes, however, he makes some exceptions; it depends on how he feels - yes, even he sometimes needs something more… Just something softer.

This is the mood in which he wakes up.

He grumbles, fussing and tuning in his cot, and it’s then that he notices that he’s alone; Tech must’ve already gotten up.

Huh. Maybe that’s why he feels like this today, since he’s woken up without Tech curled up beside him - it’s always a sight for the sore eyes, that one.

Oh well, it’s not like he has any more reason to stay there, now that he’s awake. He’ll go find him.

It doesn’t take him long to discern where Tech has gone, not when the sound of machinery can be heard throughout the entire ship. He must be working on something in his lab.

That’s where Crosshair walks to, steps echoing through the hall.

If Tech had been less busy, he would’ve noticed his arrival, but with as deep in his project as he is, he does it only when Crosshair closes his arms around him, leaning against him with his entire body weight - which, to be fair, isn’t that much.

Even though he can’t see Tech’s face, he can hear his smile as he talks: “You’re in a cuddly mood, aren’t you?”

Crosshair doesn’t even respond with words, he just nods, only to then begin to pull Tech up from his chair, much to the other’s confusion.

“Um… What?” he asks in fact, wondering what Crosshair has in mind.

“It’s too early,” the other manages to say eventually. “Come back to bed.”

“But I…” Tech begins, but well, he wouldn’t mind another five minutes of sleep, especially if it means cuddling with Crosshair, such a rare event. He huffs, even though he’s smiling. “Alright, bed it is.”

They get back in record time, and once Tech lays down, Crosshair is immediately beside him, circling his body with his arms and legs, like he needs to hold onto him to keep himself afloat, something that doesn’t make sense at all since they’re on a cot, but oh well, it’s not like Tech would complain about it.

He can’t help but to smile, reaching with one hand to scratch the top of Crosshair’s hair. He mutters something that Tech doesn’t catch, then he tightens his grip around him, but he doesn’t push him away, not this time, not when he’s in this mood.

The smile on his face grows even larger as Crosshair slowly falls asleep. Eventually, he’ll fall too, but for now he tries to stay awake, enjoying this rare moment of cuddles that he’s been granted, like it’s a precious thing--

No, scratch that, it’s not like it’s a precious thing, it _is_ a precious thing.


	13. Fives/Hardcase - Cuddling

Even though Hardcase likes to act as an exuberant bubbly guy, the people who know him well are aware of the fact that it’s - mostly - an act, though sometimes he’s so convincing that even they forget about it, which makes the truth even harder during some occasions.

Now, more than ever, Fives is reminded of it. Hardcase is the one who usually starts the cuddle pile, or just cuddling in general, but there are two reasons why he can do it: to offer comfort to some vod, or to seek comfort himself.

Well, given the almost shy way with which he’s made his way to Fives’ bunk and asked if he could join him, Fives knows that today, it’s the latter.

“Of course,” Fives mutters then, immediately making space for Hardcase to climb beside him. He wants to ask him about what caused him to seek comfort from him, but he holds his tongue, knowing that if he tried that, Hardcase would just lie and drop the subject.

What he can do now, and what he does, is letting Hardcase snuggle closer and keep him in his arms, maneuvering him so that Hardcase is mostly on top of him, so that he can rest his head on his chest more comfortably.

They still don’t talk, but they keep holding each other. Fives even begins to caress his back while slow and delicate motion, hoping that it will help Hardcase come back from whatever crisis he’s having.

Speaking of Hardcase, he barely moves, only sometimes if he needs to adjust his position. For the rest, it’s almost like he’s fallen asleep - not that Fives would mind if he did of course.

Eventually, however, Hardcase raises his gaze towards Fives, and it’s now that Fives finally resorts to speaking.

“You good?”

Hardcase nods. “Yeah… Thank you, Fives.”

“It’s nothing,” the other replies, taking ‘Case’s hand and kissing its palm. “What would I be here for, then?”

Hardcase smiles at him, then he pulls him into a hug.

“I know,” he says then. “But still… Thank you.”

“It’s alright, Cas’ika, as long as you feel better now.”

“Of course I’m feeling better, you’re with me,” Hardcase replies, making Fives look away, suddenly embarrassed. How can Hardcase say stuff like that without getting flustered at all?

He grumbles something, but he’s soon interrupted when Hardcase presses his lips against his. What else is he supposed to do in a situation like this, apart instantly melt?

Eventually they fall asleep, still together on one bunk.

The next day they’re definitely going to wake up extremely cranky, they know it already, and yet they can’t bring themselves to regret this. It’ll be worth it.


	14. Hardcase - Mischief

Hardcase knows this is something risky, but he’s arrived prepared and he’s confident in his success.

For once, he’s done his homework: for his plan to be successful, he’ll have to perfectly emulated Waxer’s style, or else they’ll notice immediately that it’s just someone trying to frame him as the culprit, which is the exact opposite of what he wants.

What exactly does he want anyway? Well, to put it simply, he just wants to cause some mayhem.

The 501st and the 212th have always been locked in a friendly rivalry, especially given how often they work together, so it’s not unheard of that one of the sides would prank the other. In this specific case, Hardcase is actually planning on pranking the 501st, while making the blame fall on the 212th, the greatest prank of all. He had to wait until they’ve got the chance to work together again, but now that they are, he can go on with his magnificent plan.

He studies his surroundings, careful. He needs to be completely alone for this; if he gets busted, he can say goodbye to his ingenious plan. Once he’s certain that he’s alone, he moves.

The hangar is almost creepy in his quietness, but if Hardcase wanted it to be livelier, he would’ve picked a better time to visit it, not in the middle of the night. Despite his efforts to keep quiet, however, his steps echo like he’s a bantha in a jewelry shop; how come at night noises are so amplified? Hardcase really doesn’t know.

It’s annoying that he has to stop every two steps to make sure nobody’s coming to see what the hell all this noise his, but thankfully that’s not the case. Maybe it’s just the nervousness taking over his nerves, maybe he’s not actually being that loud, it just appears that way to him.

Eventually he manages to reach the main gunship, the one that usually the Captain and the General take. He could’ve chosen any other gunship, but when it comes to pranks, at least according to him, it’s either go big or go home; besides, it wouldn’t have had the same effect if he just painted some random insignificant gunship.

Before starting, he looks around again. He’s still alone.

Good, then it’s time to begin painting.

Waxer’s style is hard to recreate, since he paints with shapes rather than using lines, meaning that he doesn’t do any preparatory lineart and doesn’t fill it with color, like most people do, but rather paints with the colors first, then adds some lines later. It doesn’t seem like that big of a difference but in reality it changes everything. It makes his style so distinct that it’s easily recognizable.

Hardcase has worked hard to adapt to this style, and although he’d say he’s become very good at it, he’s never had to paint such a vast surface, so this will be a challenge for him, a challenge that he intends to win.

More often than not he has to stop himself to check that it’s coming along the way he wants to, and he gotta say, he’s doing a fine job.

Oh, Rex is going to be so mad. Honestly, Hardcase can’t wait to see his reaction.

After finishing, he takes a few steps behind to admire his handiwork, hands on his hips and a proud grin on his face.

For him, this is the best thing he could’ve come up with: the Captain is crouched into an action pose, with his blaster pointed towards an hypothetical enemy and gaze focused. Yes, he has foregone painting the helmet, or better, he has foregone painting his entire armor; the only thing the painted Rex is wearing, apart from his boots, is the kama.

At least Hardcase has been tasteful enough to make sure that, thanks to the position of his legs, the thing that hangs between them isn’t visible - he doesn’t want to be crude after all.

It’s his best work, and isn’t it bad that it won’t even be recognized as such? Oh well, it’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make in the name of chaos.

After making sure that there aren’t any traces that could indicate him as the culprit, he finally leaves.

In his zealous effort to be as faithful to Waxer’s style as possible, he’s finished later than he intended, but even if he’s going to wake up still half-asleep it’s going to be worth it, he knows it already.

He’ll need to make sure to record Rex’s reaction. It’s going to be priceless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend of mine made a fanart of Hardcase's nose art, you can check it [here!](https://bitterfishies.tumblr.com/post/645018644098777089/can-i-ask-for-fives-or-hardcase-mischief-for-the)


	15. Cody/Tup & Fox/Dogma - With friends

“I’m still surprised Rex hasn’t found out…” Cody states, before downing his second - or is it third? He’s lost count already - shot of corellian whiskey, something that Fox seems to own a lot of in his office.

His vod hums, taking a shot as well.

“One would think he would’ve got it by now,” he replies, turning then to jokingly elbow at Cody’s side. “It’s your fault: you didn’t raise him well.”

“Like you would’ve done better!” Cody immediately retorts, though he’s laughing while he does it. Yeah, Rex is quite… oblivious, when it comes to certain matters, like the fact that he and Fox are shagging two of his men.

At this point they’re not even trying to hide it anymore, and yet Rex is still left wondering. Who knows, he might be thinking that Tup and Dogma sneak out to have some alone time between them-- oh wait, he’s definitely thinking that.

“Cody? Are you there?”

“Huh? Yeah… Yeah.”

Fox cocks his head to the side, staring at him intently.

“You sure? You looked like you were thinking, for once. Not gonna lie, I got scared a bit.”

“Ah-ah,” Cody replies, completely serious. “You’re a laugh riot, vod.”

Fox is about to reply, when he hears someone at the door. Ah, his other guests have arrived.

He and Cody exchange a smile as Fox gets up.

“A moment,” he tells him, before walking to the doors, punching in the code to open them. On the other side, there are Wolffe and Bly, looking at Fox expectantly.

“Is the party here?” Wolffe asks, before they all laugh.

“Make yourselves at home,” Fox says then, stepping aside in order to allow them to enter, which they do immediately.

It’s rare for their batch to get a chance to be all together, so of course as soon as they found out that Cody, Bly and Wolffe were all on leave on Coruscant at the same time, they’ve all agreed that they couldn’t afford to waste this chance to reunite and spend some time together. Things have been quite hard as of late, so this is a nice distraction.

They all join Cody on the couch, drinking and happily chatting about what they’ve been up to.

“So, are you and those shinies from the 501st still a thing?” Bly can’t help but to ask. Force forbid he minds his own business for once, though to be fair all the clones have a certain shine for gossip.

“I wouldn’t call them shinies anymore, but yeah, we sure are,” Cody admits, and proudly so.

“Is Rex still in the dark?” Wolffe asks, then, since this is what actually entertains him. The fact that Rex still hasn’t understood anything never fails to crack him up. It’s all Cody’s fault: he should’ve raised him better.

At those words, Cody and Fox exchange a gaze, then Fox steps in the conversation.

“We were just talking about that, actually…” he begins. “And our Kote was about to say something, before you so rudely interrupted with your arrival.”

Wolffe rolls his eyes, but then he turns towards Cody. “So? What were you about to say?”

“Well…” Cody begins. “This is just a random thought, but I was thinking that maybe Rex thinks Tup and Dogma are fucking each other, that’s why they usually disappear at the same time.”

A beat.

Silence.

They’re all staring at Cody.

Then in a moment, they’re all laughing their asses off. It certainly is not a view you get all days.

“Holy shit, Cody! He totally does!” Bly exclaims, trying, and failing, to stop laughing. If he keeps going like this he’s going to begin crying.

Fox doesn’t say anything; he bites his lips in order to stop himself, but it’s obvious by the shaking of his shoulders that this endeavor isn’t successful at all.

Wolffe is the loudest of them all, cackling in a way that he hasn’t done in quite some time. He begins slapping his knees as he keeps going and going, until neither of them has enough breath to go on.

Once they’ve calmed down, Fox can’t help but to wonder: “You think he really does?”

“I mean, maybe,” Cody shrugs. “Just a thought.”

It would make sense, considering certain comments Rex has made in Cody’s presence, but it’s still not enough to warrant a certain response.

“Next time you see him, please, please, please ask him,” Bly says. “I _need_ to know.”

That sentence seems to get the general consensus of the other as well, so Cody has no other choice but to agree. Besides, he’s curious as well.

“Alright, I’ll ask him.”

It actually takes some time before Cody is able to ask Rex that, since they don’t have the chance to speak to each other for the entire time Cody’s on leave, except for a few messages exchanged here and there in which Rex reassured his ori’vod that he’s still alive.

If he wanted, Cody would’ve asked him already, but it didn’t feel right, not when Rex was busy fighting on the other side of the Galaxy. No, he didn’t want to distract him.

Now, however, they’re both on the Resolute, waiting for General Kenobi and General Skywalker to be done with their meeting; it’s always nice when they get to do joint missions together.

The greatest thing of them all is that it’s Rex himself the one who gives him the perfect opening, and all he has to do for that is letting out the hugest sigh Cody has ever seen him do.

“Woah there, Rex ol’ boy. Something’s wrong?” he asks to his brother.

“Eh, it’s nothing, jus’ thinking about things…” the other replies, prompting Cody to lightly shove him with a shoulder, smirk on his face.

“That’s dangerous, you know?” he jokes, and the smirks turns into a smile at the sound of Rex’s chuckle. “So, what is it?”

“I think some troopers are keeping secrets from me…” Rex replies. It’s vague enough to make Cody believe that his supposition might not be that far-fetched after all.

“Who is it? Hardcase? Is he planning some shit again?”

“No, it’s not him.” Rex shakes his head. “It’s Dogma. I think… I think he’s seeing Tup in secret.”

Oh.

_Oh._

Cody can’t believe it…

He doesn’t know how he manages not to laugh in Rex’s face. Whatever it is that is stopping him, he’s grateful for its existence.

“Ah…” he says, trying to keep his tone neutral. “And what makes you think that?”

“Well, I’ve noticed that when we’re on leave they tend to disappear and reappear together. I tried asking them once and they got really awkward about it,” Rex replies. Oh, he got it so wrong. Still, it’s not like Cody is going to correct him, oh no.

“And so you think they’re together,” he concludes for him in fact.

“Exactly,” Rex nods. “Though why wouldn’t they tell me? Do they think I’d judge them?”

“They’re probably just figuring out things themselves, give them time,” Cody shrugs. He still can’t believe this is happening.

“Mmh, yeah, I think you’re right…”

“Of course. I’m always right.”

That earns him a chuckle and a light push from Rex, though it doesn’t take long before they have to go their separate ways.

After saying goodbye to one another, and after making sure that he’s completely alone, Cody finally bursts into laughter. He still can’t believe that truly happened, he still can’t believe that he was right. Holy shit.

And to think that it was supposed to be just a dumb supposition.

Oh, he can’t wait to tell the others about it. He’s sure they’re going to lose it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Rex


	16. Dogma/Fox/Thorn - Evil AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some unhealthy obsession on Dogma's part!

The Jedi Killer, this is how the mysterious assassin has begun to be named by those who are brave enough to speaki about him. Dogma doesn’t particularly care about it, but he’s got to admit that it has a nice ring to it. Jedi Killer…

It all started with Krell.

At the time Dogma couldn’t know what life had in store for him: just when everything seemed to be over, he got an opportunity to begin a new life.

Sure, he’s working for a Sith Lord now, but what’s the difference? Sith, Jedi, they’re all the same to him now. Given how easy it can be for Jedi to fall to the Dark Side, he’s doing the galaxy a favor by terminating them; he’s gotten quite good at it, you know?

A thing that he never expected he was going to enjoy as much as he does, is the thrill of the chase after a kill. The Coruscant Guard is good, very good; it makes things more fun with the way they always try to catch him.

They provide some amusement to Dogma’s otherwise bleak life, though that may have something to do with the fact that he’s taken a shine with two of the Guard Commanders.

Commander Fox is someone Dogma feels close to despite the fact that they’ve never met: he looks like a tormented soul too. Always on the job, he hates when he’s not in control of things; Dogma is beginning loving messing with him on purpose, leaving some misleading clues behind and sending him messages with his kills. He’s thought about what would happen if they were to cross paths, if they were able to physically meet. Would Fox put up a fight? He bets he would.

Commander Thorn is completely different from Fox, but Dogma still respects him. It’s obvious that he loves his brothers, even though he should’ve understood by now that nobody cares about the clones, that if he really loved them he should begin to kill the Jedi in order to end this war, which is exactly what he’s doing. Later, he’ll kill his Sith employer as well, so that nobody will have to fight anymore. If he weren’t so busy with his mission, he wonders if he and Thorn would’ve been friends; he seems cheerful and accepting, something Dogma would really enjoy. Oh, the Dogma from Umbara would’ve disagreed so much on this, but that Dogma is dead, buried under a renewed sense of duty, not towards the Jedi anymore, but towards peace.

Would he be able to convince Thorn to join him? He seems less duty-bound than Fox, so maybe if he twists his words right, he might be able to do it.

As much as Dogma has come to love them separately, it can’t match the height of his love when the two of them are together. There’s something about the way they mesh so well that never fails to amaze Dogma.

He feels jealousy, possessiveness and some form of shame when he spies them through the lens of his sniper rifle - his only companion since he’s dedicated himself to his mission - but he’s not jealous of them in the sense that he wants one of the other. He wants both.

They’d be excellent allies and even more excellent lovers. If only they’d join him…

Sometimes he loses himself in whichever fantasy his mind is able to concoct.

In this ideal world there are no Jedi, nor Sith Lord. The Force doesn’t exist at all.

In this ideal world, the three of them are together and, most importantly, free to be and do whatever they want.

In this ideal world, they’re happy.

Other times, his scenarios are more true to reality, but with a few huge changes.

In this ideal world, the ship that was taking Dogma to Kamino isn’t intercepted by Count Dooku’s, but one of the Guard’s.

In this ideal world, Fox and Thorn would’ve taken him under their wings. They would’ve protected him.

In this ideal world, they would’ve loved him.

These are only fantasies, unfortunately, which can only live in Dogma’s head. They can’t and won’t become true no matter how much he wants them too.

The only thing Dogma can do is to keep tainting his hands in blood, taking one life after another, getting one step closer to peace each time he does.

It’s his act of love towards all the clones, but especially those two Commanders that he can observe from afar but will never have.


	17. Hunter/Echo - Hurt/Comfort

Hunter should be used to this, and yet, there are days in which his migraines are so bad that he can barely stand up.

His head pounds and pounds and pounds as it tries to process everything Hunter is able to feel. It makes him wonder more often than not if all these enhancements are actually worth it or not: what good do they do to him when he feels like shit most of the time?

When the pain hits, he’s more than grateful of the fact that his entire team does what they can in order to help him; despite them being a rowdy bunch, they all become extremely careful and quiet, helping Hunter while also keeping enough of a distance not to stress him out.

When Echo became part of the team, he was afraid that he’d have a harder time dealing with this, but he couldn’t have been more wrong: not only Echo is extremely respectful of his problems, he’s also great at dealing with them.

“Sometimes I stayed up so late looking up at a screen that I’d get migraines too,” he told Hunter once. “I know exactly how to deal with them.”

He wasn’t lying, and especially after the two of them got together - since at first Hunter didn’t feel like constantly bothering him about his problems - he’s become a very welcome presence by his side.

Hunter sighs as Echo gently massages his temples. He’d speak, if only that wouldn’t make everything worse.

Even Echo doesn’t tell him anything, or asks him if everything’s good: he can tell by the way Hunter’s face muscles are slowly beginning to relax.

The room is completely dark, but he’s able to see that to some see-in-the-dark goggles Tech has built for this exact occasion, so he’s able to monitor the situation without the need of any light source, which helps Hunter a great deal.

Just having Echo this close is a great help, to be quite honest. Considering that he lived so much of his early life with the certainty that he was going to get decommissioned, being able to live such soft moments now fills him with immense joy, even though he could do without the migraines nonetheless.

There are still times in which he tries to manage on his own, in which he doesn’t want to bother anyone with his problems, but his endeavors are rarely successful, not when the others know him so well.

“Why do you keep doing it?” Echo can’t help but to ask him the day after one of these episodes. In the end it was so much that Hunter thought his head was going to explode, but thankfully Echo noticed that he was keeping his migraine a secret and acted on it before it would get even worse.

“Doing what?” Hunter asks, playing the fool. At the moment there’s nothing he wants more than falling asleep again, thus he turns his back to Echo, managing to move despite the space in the bunk barely being enough for one people to sleep on it - and he shares it with Echo - and closes his eyes, hoping that Echo will drop the subject and leave him to sleep - he needs it.

Unfortunately for him, however, Echo is pretty stubborn. He doesn’t drop the subject at all, in fact: after pressing his chest against Hunter’s back, hugging his waist with one arm, he questions him again.

“You know what…” he mutters, voice barely audible not to disturb Hunter’s sensitive ears.

Of course he wouldn’t leave it alone. Hunter even wonders why he was hoping he’d do it. He keeps quiet for a moment, pondering if he should open up or not; in the end, he sighs.

“It’s annoying, you know? I don’t want to keep you all up for my problems…” he explains in the end.

Echo doesn’t reply immediately, which makes Hunter wonder what he’s doing, prompting him to slightly turn his head so that he can look at him over his shoulder. He looks deep in thought.

Eventually, he leans down to kiss the top of Hunter’s head.

“So when you help me with phantom pains, which let’s not forget, happen quite often, do you think it’s annoying?” he asks, carefully pronouncing each word.

“No!” Hunter replies, suddenly alarmed, as he turns to face Echo again. “No, I’d never think that for…” He stops, realizing what Echo really means. “ _Ah._ ”

Echo chuckles, gently nuzzling against Hunter’s cheek.

“Exactly,” is all he says, before gently drawing Hunter for a kiss. Maybe he’s a bit too smug for having proven his point, but it’s fine, Hunter’s going to allow it.

At least now he has something else to think about, and given the way Echo pushes him down, deepening the kiss, he might be thinking about it for quite a while too.


End file.
